Meta Secures 1 GW Space Solar for AI Data Centers

Meta Platforms has signed an agreement with startup Overview Energy to secure up to 1 gigawatt of space-based solar power for its AI data centers, marking the first commercial capacity reservation for such technology.

The deal, announced this week, provides Meta with priority access to energy collected by satellites in geosynchronous orbit, approximately 22,000 miles above Earth's equator. There, sunlight is constant, allowing the satellites to gather solar energy and beam it to existing ground-based solar farms as low-intensity near-infrared light. The farms' photovoltaic panels convert the beam into electricity, extending their output through nighttime hours without requiring new land, grid connections or infrastructure. Overview Energy describes the beam as safe for human exposure and introduces "megawatt-photons" to measure the light needed to generate one megawatt of power.

An initial orbital demonstration is planned for 2028, with commercial deliveries expected by 2030. The company, founded in 2022 and based in Ashburn, Virginia, has already demonstrated power transmission from an aircraft and aims to deploy around 1,000 satellites covering about one-third of Earth, from...